Releasable locking mechanism

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a releasable locking mechanism adapted for attachment to an article, such as a chair, to enable demountable connection of the article to a support. The locking mechanism has releasable engaging means for releasably engaging the support, the engaging means being movable between a first &#34;connected&#34; position and a second &#34;disconnected&#34; position to lock or release the article from the support. Also provided is a retracting means for moving the engaging means between the first and second positions and biasing means for biasing the engaging means toward the first position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a releasable locking mechanism, and inparticular, but not exclusively, to a releasable locking mechanism forincorporation into a child's chair to allow demountable connection ofthe chair to a plurality of different supports.

There has always been a need to adapt various articles so that they canbe safely and demountably connected to corresponding supports. Oneexample of this is in the area relating to children's furniture wherearticles such as chairs and bassinettes are adapted for demountableconnection with stands and other supports. Often the devices used toallow demountable connection such as straps, clips, screws and bolts aredifficult or inconvenient to use or require the use of hand tools tooperate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a releasable lockingmechanism for demountably connecting an article to a support which isboth easy and convenient to use.

According to the present invention there is provided a releasablelocking mechanism adapted for attachment to an article for demountablyconnecting said article to a support, said locking mechanism comprising:

engaging means for releasably engaging said support, said engaging meansbeing movable between a first position in which said locking mechanismcan be demountably connected with said support and a second position inwhich said locking mechanism can be disconnected from said support;

retracting means for retracting said engaging means from said firstposition to said second position; and,

biasing means for biasing said engaging means toward said firstposition;

whereby, in use, said releasable locking mechanism can demountablyconnect said article to said support.

Preferably said engaging means is retained in said locking mechanism forsliding movement between said first and second positions.

Preferably said retracting means for retracting said engaging meansmoves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction ofmovement of said engaging means.

Preferably said locking mechanism further comprises coupling means forcoupling said retracting means to said engaging means such that movementof said retracting means causes said engaging means to move between saidfirst and second positions.

Preferably said coupling means comprises a gear rotatably connected tosaid locking mechanism and wherein said engaging means and saidretracting means are maintained in meshing contact with said gear.

Preferably said engaging means comprises at least two arms and saidcoupling means further comprises a second gear, wherein separate ones ofsaid arms are in meshing contact with respective ones of said gears andsaid retracting means meshes with both of said gears whereby saidretracting means can be manipulated to cause rotation of said gears andthereby slidably move both of said arms between said first and secondpositions.

Preferably said biasing means is connected with said retracting meanssuch as to urge said engaging means to move toward said first position.

Preferably said releasable locking mechanism further comprises a catchmoveable between a first state in which said engaging means is preventedfrom moving from said first position to said second position, and asecond state in which said engaging means is allowed to move from saidfirst position to said second position.

Preferably said catch includes a second biasing means for biasing saidcatch towards said first state.

Preferably said catch is manipulable for movement between said first andsecond states at a location remote from that at which said retractingmeans can be manipulated for movement.

Preferably said catch is operatively connected with said retractingmeans to selectively control movement of said retracting means.

Preferably said catch comprises an elongate member and first and secondelements, wherein said first element is attached to said retractingmeans and said second element is connected with said elongate memberwhereby when said catch is in the first state, said first and secondelements mutually engage to prevent movement of said retracting means,and when said catch is in said second state, said first and secondelements are released from each other thereby allowing movement of saidretracting means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the releasable locking mechanism;

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the releasable locking mechanism when in afirst engaging position;

FIG. 2B is an elevation view from the rear of a catch incorporated inthe locking mechanism, when the catch is in a first state;

FIG. 3A is a plan view of the releasable locking mechanism in a seconddisengaged position;

FIG. 3B is an elevation view from the rear of the catch illustrated inFIG. 2B, when the catch is in a second state;

FIG. 4A is a front elevation view from the front of a chairincorporating the locking mechanisms;

FIG. 4B is an elevation view from the side of the chair illustrated inFIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is a front elevation view of the chair illustrated in FIG. 4Aand 4B connected to a supporting seat;

FIG. 5B is an elevation view from the side of the seat illustrated inFIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is an elevation view from the front of a high-chairincorporating the seat of FIGS. 4A and 4B;

FIG. 6B is a side elevation view of the high chair illustrated in FIG.6A;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the chair illustrated in FIGS. 4A and4B connected with a table;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the chair illustrated in FIGS. 4A and4B connected with a stroller;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the chair illustrated in FIGS. 4A and4B connected with a bicycle; and,

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of a chair illustrated in FIGS. 4A and4B connected with a swing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in the accompanying drawings, with particular reference toFIGS. 1 to FIG. 3B, a releasable locking mechanism 2 adapted forattachment to an article for demountably connecting the article to asupport 4 comprises engaging means 6 in the form of pins 8a, 8b(referred to in general as "pins 8") extending from a side surface ofrespective arms 10a and 10b (referred to in general as "arms 10"). Thepins 8 releasably engage holes 12 in support 4. The support 4 takes theform of two flat metal bars with holes 12 drilled through each bar nearits opposite ends. The arms 10a and 10b are retained in the lockingmechanism 2 for slidable movement between a first position, illustratedin FIG. 2A, in which the pins 8 engage corresponding holes 12 of thesupport 4 and a second position, illustrated in FIG. 3A, in which thepins 8 are retracted from holes 12 to disengage the locking mechanism 2from the support 4. A retracting means in the form of elongate element16 is provided for retracting the arms 10 from the first position to thesecond position. A biasing means being, for example, in the form of acoil spring 14 surrounds a length of the elongate element 16 to bias thearms 10 toward the first position illustrated in FIG. 2A. The spring 14is retained between a stop 15 fixed to the elongate element 16 and aguide 17 through which the elongate element 16 can pass.

Arm 10a is provided with a bar 18a extending from a side of the arm 10aopposite pins 8a in the direction substantially perpendicular to thelength of the arm 10a . Arm 10b is provided with a similar bar 18b . Thebars 18a and 18b extend towards each other and lie on opposite sides ofthe elongate element 16. A plurality of notches 20a, 20b is cut intorespective ones of bars 18a, 18b near an end distant from itscorresponding arm 10. Similar notches 22 are cut intermediate thelength, and on opposite sides, of elongate element 16. Two gears 24a and24b are rotatably connected with the locking mechanism 2 for couplingthe elongate element 16 with bars 18a and 18b respectively.Specifically, teeth 26a formed about the circumference of gear 24a, meshwith notches 20a in bar 18a and notches 22 in elongate element 16.Similarly, teeth 26b formed about the periphery of gear 24a mesh withnotches 20b formed in bar 18a and notches 22 formed in elongate element16.

The locking mechanism 2 further includes a catch, designated generallyas item 28, which is movable between a first state, illustrated in FIG.2B, for preventing the arms 10 and pins 8 from moving from the firstposition to the second position, and a second state, illustrated in FIG.3B, in which the arms 10 and pins 8 can be moved from the first positionto the second position to allow the locking mechanism 2 to be releasedfrom the support 4. The catch 28 includes an elongate element 30terminating at one end in a rectangular plate 32 formed with a centralaperture 34. A coil spring 36 surrounds a length of the elongate element30 and is retained between a stop 38 connected with elongate element 30and a guide 40 through which the elongate element 30 can pass. The guide40 is connected with a frame (not shown) supporting other elements ofthe locking mechanism 2. The catch 28 further includes a tab 42connected near one end of elongate element 16. When the catch 28 is inthe first state, illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the tab 42 bearsagainst a side of plate 32 opposite spring 14. When in this state, theelongate element 16 is prevented from moving in a direction away fromplate 32. The catch 28 can be moved to the second state, illustrated inFIGS. 3A and 3B, by depressing the elongate element 30 causing plate 32to be displaced relative to tab 42 so that the tab 42 resides whollywithin the aperture 34. When in this state, the elongate element 16 isfree to be pulled in the direction of its length.

The method of operation of the locking mechanism 2 will now be describedin detail.

Assume that the mechanism 2 is connected with a support 4 as illustratedin FIG. 2A. The catch 28 is in the first state as illustrated in FIG. 2Bthereby preventing the elongate element 16 from being pulled to releasethe locking mechanism 2 from the support 4. The spring 36 acts to urgethe elongate element 30 in the direction of arrow A thereby maintainingthe catch 28 in the first state. Spring 14 acts to urge elongateelements 16 in the direction of arrow B to maintain the pins 8 inengagement with holes 12 of the support 4.

In order to disengage the locking mechanism 2 from the support 4, theelongate element 30 must first be depressed against the bias of spring36 so that tab 42 resides within the aperture 34. This corresponds tothe second state of the catch 28 illustrated in FIG. 3B. The elongateelement 16 can now be pulled in the direction of arrow C against thebias of spring 14. Pulling of the elongate element 16 causes rotation ofthe gears 24a and 24b by virtue of the meshing between teeth 26a and 26band the notches 22. Rotation of the gears 24a and 24b results in bars18a and 18b and consequently arms 10a and 10b to move in a directiontoward the elongate element 16. This is due to the meshing of teeth 26awith notches 20a and the meshing of teeth 26b in notches 20b. In thisway the pins 8a and 8b are released from corresponding holes 12 so thatthe locking mechanism 2 can be released from the support 4.

It is envisaged that the locking mechanism 2 can be incorporated into achair 44 as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and B. A chair-shaped frame (notshown) is provided for supporting the locking mechanism 2. The arms 10,bars 18, elongate element 16 and gears 24, are connected with a seatpart of the frame and the elongate element 30 is connected with a backpart of the frame. The frame is then connected to the convex surface ofthe chair 44. A chair-shaped backing plate (not shown) can be used tocover the locking mechanism 2 by attachment to the chair 44. That is,the locking mechanism 2 can be integrated into a chair per se. In suchan embodiment, an underside of the seat part of the chair is providedwith two elongate slots to allow insertion of supports 4 for demountablylocking the chair to the support.

It is further envisaged that the locking mechanism 2 include a secondengaging means operated by the elongate element 30 to allow demountableconnection to other items such as, for example, a tray 46 (illustratedin FIGS. 6A and B) or a table support arm 48 (shown in FIG. 7). Thefurther engaging means can be substantially the same as pins 8 and arms10 and can be operated by means of gears meshing with notches formed inthe elongate element 30.

In a simpler alternative, a cross-member (not shown) can be connectedwith elongate element 30 in a plane substantially perpendicular to thatcontaining arms 10 and elongate element 60. Opposite ends of thecross-member can be provided with engaging elements for engagingcomplementary elements formed in the tray 46 or table support arm 48.

The supports 4 can be incorporated into a number of differentapparatuses to allow connection of chair 44 provided with the lockingmechanism 2 to those apparatuses. For example, a support 4 can beincorporated into a chair 47 (illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B), a highchair 49 (illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B) stroller 48 (as shown in FIG.8), a bicycle frame 50 (as shown in FIG. 9) or a swing 52 (as shown inFIG. 10) so as to allow the chair 44 to be demountably connectedthereto. The chair 44 is provided with a number of longitudinal slots 54(refer FIGS. 4A, 5A, 6A) in its back to allow the use of harness forstrapping in users of the chair 44.

Now that an embodiment of the present invention has been described indetail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts thatnumerous modifications and variations may be made without departing fromthe basic inventive concepts. For example, the locking mechanism 2 isillustrated as including a catch 28. However, as the purpose of thecatch is merely to prevent accidental release of the locking mechanism 2from the support 4, its inclusion is not essential. Furthermore, anyother conventional catch can be used in place of the aperture and tabarrangement shown. In addition, the gears 24a, 24b can be replaced withany other device for translating movement of the elongate member 16 tomovement of the arms 10. For example, a pulley system may be used.

The embodiment employing the pulley system replaces the above-describedgears with pulleys and cables connecting the pins 8 with the elongateelement 16. Again, the catch 28 is biased by a spring into the firstengaged position and pins 8 are also spring loaded, urging them intoengagement with support 4.

In order to disengage the locking mechanism 2 from the support 4 thecatch 28 must be released, allowing the elongate element 16 to bepressed forward thus rotating the pulleys and tensioning the cables thuscausing the pins 8 to move against the bias of their complementarysprings to be released from the support 4. The locking mechanism 2 canthen be removed from the support 4.

If, as contemplated in the above-described embodiment, there areprovided four pins, each pin has an associated pulley and cableconnecting the pin with the elongate element 16. If, as is shown inFIGS. 5A and 5B the support 4 is incorporated into a chair 47 facing thefront of a vehicle, the pins 8 may lie along two axis parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the vehicle. The rear pulleys controlling the rearpins connecting the support to the chair may be further secured by useof a locking pin. Similarly, the front pulleys could be locked in thismanner, further securing the support.

A further alternative to the gear system involves the replacement ofgears with Z-shaped members connected by cables to elongate element 16and pins 8 located at the front and rear of the support 4 rather than tothe sides as discussed above. Thus, when the catch 28 is released, theelongate element 16 may be pressed forward allowing the Z-shaped membersto rotate thus pulling the cables in a direction which causes the pins 8to be released from the support 4. Similarly, pulling the elongateelement 16 will allow the pins 8, which are spring loaded to move intoengagement with the support.

Further, the article to be connected to the support need not be a chair,it could be a capsule or bassinette. The chair may also be tilted toform such a capsule or bassinette, if desired.

All such modifications and variations are considered to be within thescope of the present invention.

The claims defining the invention are as follows:
 1. A releasablelocking mechanism to demountably connect an article with a support, saidmechanism comprising:at least one engaging means to releasably connectsaid article and said support, said at least one engaging means beingmovable between a first position in which the article is connected withsaid support and a second position in which the article is disconnectedfrom said support thereby enabling removal of said article therefrom;retracting means to retract said engaging means from said first positionto said second position; biasing means to bias said engaging meanstoward said first position; and coupling means for coupling saidretracting means to said engaging means such that movement of saidretracting means causes said engaging means to move between said firstand second positions, wherein said coupling means comprises a rotatablegear and wherein said engaging means and said retracting means aremaintained in meshing contact with said gear.
 2. A connection mechanismas claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of engaging means are providedto connect said article with said support at a plurality of locations.3. A releasable locking mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidengaging means is retained in said locking mechanism for slidingmovement between said first and second positions.
 4. A releasablelooking mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said engaging means isretained in said locking mechanism for sliding movement between saidfirst and second positions.
 5. A resealable locking mechanism as claimedin claim 4 wherein said retracting means for retracting said engagingmeans moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the directionof movement of said engaging means.
 6. A releasable locking mechanism asclaimed in claim 5 wherein said biasing means is connected with saidretracting means such as to urge said engaging means to move toward saidfirst position.
 7. A releasable locking mechanism as claimed in claim 4wherein said biasing means is connected with said retracting means suchas to urge said engaging means to move toward said first position.
 8. Areleasable locking mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said engagingmeans comprises at least two arms and said coupling means furthercomprises a second gear, wherein separate ones of said arms are inmeshing contact with respective ones of said gears and said retractingmeans meshes with both of said gears whereby said retracting means canbe manipulated to cause rotation of said gears and thereby slidably moveboth of said arms between said first and second positions.
 9. Areleasable locking mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said biasingmeans is connected with said retracting means such as to urge saidengaging means to move toward said first position.
 10. A releasablelocking mechanism as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a catchmovable between a first state in which said engaging means is preventedfrom moving from said first position to said second position, and asecond state in which said engaging means is allowed to move from saidfirst position to said second position.
 11. A releasable lockingmechanism to demountably connect an article with a support, saidmechanism comprising:at least one engaging means to releasably connectsaid article and said support, said at least one engaging means beingmovable between a first position in which the article is connected withsaid support and a second position in which the article is disconnectedfrom said support thereby enabling removal of said article therefrom;retracting means to retract said engaging means from said first positionto said second position; biasing means to bias said engaging meanstowards said first position; and a catch movable between a first statein which said engaging means is prevented from moving from said firstposition to said second position, and a second state in which saidengaging means is allowed to move from said first position to saidsecond position.
 12. A resealable locking mechanism as claimed in claim11 wherein said catch includes a second biasing means for biasing saidcatch towards said first state.
 13. A releasable locking mechanism asclaimed in claim 11 wherein said catch is manipulable for movementbetween said first and second states at a location remote from that atwhich said retracting means can be manipulated for movement.
 14. Areleasable locking mechanism as claimed in claim 11 wherein said catchis operatively connected with said retracting means to selectivelycontrol movement of said retracting means.
 15. A releasable lockingmechanism as claimed in claim 11 wherein said catch comprises anelongate member and first and second elements, wherein said firstelement is attached to said retracting means and said second element isconnected with said elongate member whereby, when said catch is in thefirst state, said first and second elements mutually engage to preventmovement of said retracting means, and when said catch is in said secondstate, said first and second elements are released from each otherthereby allowing movement of said retracting means.